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Friday, February 26, 2010

NBC has released the information for a new episode of Law & Order SVU titled “Witness” which will air on March 17, 2010. Here are the details:

Law & Order SVU “Witness” Air Date Wednesday March 17, 2010 10:00PM ET/9CWHEN A PROMISCUOUS YOUNG GIRL CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN RAPED, DETECTIVES BENSON (MARISKA HARGITAY) AND STABLER (CHRIS MELONI) MUST PROVE THAT SHE IS TELLING THE TRUTH.

Soon after a young girl, Laine McAlister (guest star Diora Baird), is raped in her apartment building's stairwell, Detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Eliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) meet Laine in the hospital and find her extremely shaken with a large cut on her hand. After an unpleasant exchange with a man she claims is her boyfriend, the detectives become suspicious that she may have fabricated her rape to get attention. Their suspicions grow when she waits to reveal that there was an eyewitness. As the gravity of the situation intensifies, Benson and Stabler find themselves in a race to track down the witness and get a testimony before it is too late. Also starring: Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Richard Belzer (Detective John Munch), Tamara Tunie (Dr. Melinda Warner), and B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang).

Here is a press release from USA Network announcing their spring line up and it includes some information that Law & Order Criminal Intent fans may like to know.

USA NETWORK KICKS OFF ACTION-PACKED SPRING LINEUP WITH NEW SEASONS OF LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT AND IN PLAIN SIGHTReleased by USANew Faces and Guest Stars Illuminate 10pm slots on Tuesday and Wednesday Nights

NEW YORK, NEW YORK February 26, 2010 USA Network will offer all-new seasons of its highly-rated series LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT and IN PLAIN SIGHT this spring featuring 16 consecutive action-packed episodes and all-new time slots. The line-up continues the network's commitment to 10pm quality programming with the ninth season of LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT premiering Tuesday, March 30 followed by the season three premiere of IN PLAIN SIGHT on Wednesday, March 31.

IN PLAIN SIGHT reigned as the most-watched series on basic cable Sundays in 2009. LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT was second only to IN PLAIN SIGHT on Sundays in 2009 among total viewers and ranked as the #3 drama among P25-54, P18-49 and households.

Season nine of LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT gets underway as we say goodbye to old friends and welcome new faces to the Major Case Squad. Saffron Burrows ("Boston Legal," "Troy"), the beautiful and talented SAG nominee, becomes the newest partner to Jeff Goldblum's Detective Zach Nichols. As Detective Serena Stevens, Burrows plays a highly educated, worldly single parent with a broad range of life experiences to draw upon in solving even the toughest of cases. Teamed with Detective Zach Nichols, they create a partnership of challenging intellect and street-smart savvy. Dick Wolf's third installment in the "Law & Order" franchise follows the Major Case Squad as it investigates high profile crimes. The cases often revolve around homicides, serial killers, VIPs, government officials and figureheads from the business and creative worlds. Unlike other procedural dramas, CRIMINAL INTENT focuses on the criminal psyche. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio steps into the role of Captain Zoe Callas after an action-packed tw o-part series premiere. The exciting guest line-up for season nine includes Dan Lauria, Ralph Macchio, Dan Butler , Tracy Pollan and William Mapother. LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT comes from Wolf Films and Universal Cable Productions.

The season three premiere of action-packed IN PLAIN SIGHT kicks off in dramatic fashion as Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack) and partner Marshall (Frederick Weller) search for the person who nearly killed Mary in the season two cliffhanger. The most-watched series on basic cable Sundays in 2009, IN PLAIN SIGHT stars Mary McCormack as Mary Shannon, a U.S. Marshal working in the highly secretive witness protection program (WITSEC). Her job is to relocate Federal Witnesses, some of whom are career criminals, and some of whom are innocents who had the misfortune of witnessing a crime. But they all have one thing in common someone wants them dead. Mary's job is to make sure this doesn't happen, while at the same time dealing with her own dysfunctional family. IN PLAIN SIGHT also stars Frederick Weller, Nichole Hiltz and Paul Ben-Victor, along with returning guest-stars Lesley Ann Warren, Cristian de la Fuente, and Joshua Malina. Oscar, Emmy and Grammy winner Rita Moreno ("Cane," "The Guardian"), four-time Emmy winner Allison Janney ("The West Wing," "Juno"), Steven Weber ("Wings," "Studio 60"), Tess Harper ("No Country for Old Men," "Breaking Bad"), Josh Cooke ("Committed," "Four Kings") and Donnie Wahlberg ("Boomtown," "The Sixth Sense") have also been cast to guest star in season three in the USA Network hit original series. Showrunner John McNamara ("The Fugitive," "Eyes") joins the show this year as writer/executive producer, further elevating the show's narrative drive, production value and design. IN PLAIN SIGHT comes from Universal Cable Productions.

USA Network is the #1 network in all of basic cable and is seen in over 98.5 million U.S. homes. A division of NBC Universal, USA is the cable television leader in original series and home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, acquired television series and entertainment events. The award-winning USA website is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

Don’t forget that Law & Order returns on March 1, 2010 with a double-header, and SVU returns on March 3 with a double-header. Here are the episode details again, plus some additional sneak peeks for SVU “P.C.” (below), and links to other preview clips and photos for these episodes. (Since there are 4 episodes airing, it’s a good time for me to try out a more abbreviated recap format.) Please be sure to tune in as your viewing eyeballs will help keep Law & Order and SVU alive!

When detectives Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) and Kevin Bernard (Anthony Anderson) come upon the burning body of Cesar (guest star Noel Rodriguez), a sixteen-year-old charter school student from a bad neighborhood, they begin to question his young mentee Moses (guest star Aaron Shaw), who was the last person to see him alive. After evidence leads the detectives to a shocking cell phone video of the crime being committed, they soon realize that the four people in the video may be in cahoots with an unexpected ally. The investigation leads the detectives to the high school principal, Mrs. Woodside (guest star Debra Winger), who has all of the right answers. With a shady educator, tampered alibis and jealous schoolboys all coming into play, the detectives discover that their case may be more than elementary. Also starring: S. Epatha Merkerson (Lieutenant Anita Van Buren), Sam Waterston (District Attorney Jack McCoy), Alana De La Garza (Connie Rubirosa), and Linus Roache (Michael Cutter).

When a family of four is found murdered in their home, Detectives Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) and Kevin Bernard (Anthony Anderson) discover that the deaths may be related to the deceased teenage daughters troubled friend, Bonnie. As Lupo and Bernard track down Bonnie, the detectives become aware of another suspect, Justin, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder making the case more complicated when both suspects' mental states come into question. Also starring: Sam Waterston (Jack McCoy), S. Epatha Merkerson (Lieutenant Anita Van Buren), Alana De La Garza (Connie Rubirosa), and Linus Roache (Michael Cutter).

Detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Eliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) find a woman bleeding from the neck and nearly dead. The woman dies before they reach the hospital, and soon the investigation leads them to the frontman of the death metal band Vampyre Sacrifyce. He bites girls, steals blood from the local blood bank and sings about violence to women all in the name of his strange, vampiric lifestyle. The singer claims he was nowhere near the scene of the crime, and soon a lesbian rights group led by Babs Duffy (guest star Kathy Griffin) gets involved, claiming the victim's death was a result of police neglect. However, when more women from Babs's group are attacked, it becomes clear that the victim's case wasn't an isolated incident and that someone out there has a larger plan to bring the group down. Also starring: Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Richard Belzer (Detective John Munch), Dann Florek (Capt. Donald Cragen), Tamara Tunie (Dr. Melinda Warner), and B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang).

When a series of young prostitutes are found murdered with homemade prayer cards attached to their bodies, Detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Eliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) struggle to find the common thread. However, just when they think that they've found the murderer, Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek) informs the detectives that another victim named Gladys (guest star Mischa Barton) has turned up with a prayer card. This time she survived. As the case unfolds, Benson finds herself getting emotionally invested in the survivor until she is forced to make a decision that she isn't ready to face. Also starring: Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Richard Belzer (Detective John Munch), Tamara Tunie (Dr. Melinda Warner), and B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang).

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Here are a few video interview excerpts of Law & Order SVU’s Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni as they talk about working with Kathy Griffin on the upcoming episode of Law & Order SVU “P.C.” which will air on March 3, 2010 on NBC. (Check your local listings for times.) There is also behind the scenes footage too! The videos will be up only for a limited time, so catch them while you can.

USA Network has provided a few short videos of Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe speaking about their work with Law & Order Criminal Intent. The videos appear to be undated but appear relatively new. They are included below – catch them while they are available!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Here are two brand new brief interview excerpts with Law & Order stars Linus Roache and Alana De La Garza where they talk about the show and its move back to 10PM (they both seem very happy about it, as are the fans). They both seem very appreciative of their fans following the show – Alana commenting that “Law & Order fans rock, man!” We think you rock too, Alana (and Linus too).

NBC has released a few previews from the March 1 episode of Law & Order “Boy On Fire”. Here they are, catch them while you can as NBC rules dictate I can only keep them up for a very short time after the episode first airs. (Reminder: This is part of a two hour, double-header with Law & Order “Steel-Eyed Death”.)

NBC has released a few previews from the March 1 episode of Law & Order “Steel-Eyed Death”. Here they are, catch them while you can as NBC rules dictate I can only keep them up for a very short time after the episode first airs. (Reminder: This is part of a two hour, double-header with Law & Order “Boy On Fire”.)

NBC has released the episode information for Law & Order “Brilliant Disguise” and re-released information for Law & Order SVU “Confidential”. Don’t forget the new days and/or times, and don’t forget that Sam Waterston makes a guest appearance in “Confidential.”

Law & Order “Brilliant Disguise” Air Date 3/08/2010 (10 PM ET/ 9C Monday NBC) WHEN THE MURDER OF A YOUNG WOMAN IS TRACED BACK TO A MEDICAL SCHOOL RESEARCH PROJECT, IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT MORE THAN JUST LAB RATS ARE IN DANGER

After a young woman, Justine (guest star Laura Campbell), is found brutally murdered in a hotel and her body stashed away on a food service cart, evidence leads Detectives Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) and Kevin Bernard (Anthony Anderson) to a young medical school student. When a crafty lawyer, Ray Backlund (guest star Timothy Busfield), becomes involved, the detectives realize that it is going to take more than superficial evidence to put the murderer behind bars. This quickly becomes a case of mind over matter. Also starring: S. Epatha Merkerson (Lieutenant Anita Van Buren), Sam Waterston (District Attorney Jack McCoy), Alana De La Garza (Connie Rubirosa), and Linus Roache (Michael Cutter).

Law & Order SVU “Confidential” Air Date 3/10/2010 (10 PM ET/ 9C Wednesday NBC)A WOMAN'S MURDER IS LINKED TO A VAST PONZI SCHEME THAT LEADS DETECTIVES BENSON (MARISKA HARGITAY) AND STABLER (CHRISTOPHER MELONI) TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION OF A SIMILAR CRIME COMMITTED TWENTY YEARS EARLIER

When security cameras record footage of a woman being abducted, it isn't long before Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek) and the SVU squad find the woman dead in the basement. Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer) recalls a similar case from twenty years before, sending Detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Eliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) to Sing Sing to speak to the culprit, who begs them to reopen his case and prove his innocence. As strange similarities between the two cases begin to arise, Benson and Stabler face fierce opposition from Ingrid Block (guest star Lena Olin), the pit bull attorney for the main suspect who will do whatever it takes to prove her client's innocence. Ultimately, it falls on DA Jack McCoy (guest star Sam Waterston) to decide whether or not the ruthless lengths to which Block went to defend her client constituted a crime itself. Also starring: Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Tamara Tunie (Dr. Melinda Warner), and B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang).

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Here are a few photos of Jamie Bamber while working on the set of Law & Order UK outside Andrews Restaurant on Gray’s Inn Road in London, UK on February 15, 2010. Jamie looks great, even when rifling through garbage!

Friday, February 12, 2010

NBC has released the episode information for the Law & Order SVU double-header on Wednesday, March 3, 2010. “Savior” with guest stars Mischa Barton and Lee Tergesen will air at 10:00 PM ET, and “P.C.” with guest star Kathy Griffin will air at 9:00 PM ET.

Law & Order SVU “Savior” Air Date 3/03/2010 (10 PM ET/ 9C Wednesday NBC)DETECTIVE BENSON (MARISKA HARGITAY) GETS EMOTIONALLY INVESTED IN A CASE WHEN SHE AND DETECTIVE STABLER (CHRIS MELONI) INVESTIGATE THE MURDERS OF SEVERAL YOUNG PROSTITUTES.

When a series of young prostitutes are found murdered with homemade prayer cards attached to their bodies, Detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Eliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) struggle to find the common thread. However, just when they think that they've found the murderer, Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek) informs the detectives that another victim named Gladys (guest star Mischa Barton) has turned up with a prayer card. This time she survived. As the case unfolds, Benson finds herself getting emotionally invested in the survivor until she is forced to make a decision that she isn't ready to face. Also starring: Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Richard Belzer (Detective John Munch), Tamara Tunie (Dr. Melinda Warner), and B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang).

Law & Order SVU “P.C.” Air Date 3/03/2010 (9 PM ET/ 8C Wednesday NBC)WHEN A WOMAN FROM A GROWING LESBIAN COMMUNITY IS FOUND DEAD, DETECTIVES BENSON (MARISKA HARGITAY) AND STABLER (CHRIS MELONI) MUST WORK WITH A LOCAL ACTIVIST (GUEST STAR KATHY GRIFFIN) TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH BEHIND THE WOMAN'S DEATH.

Detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Eliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) find a woman bleeding from the neck and nearly dead. The woman dies before they reach the hospital, and soon the investigation leads them to the frontman of the death metal band Vampyre Sacrifyce. He bites girls, steals blood from the local blood bank and sings about violence to women all in the name of his strange, vampiric lifestyle. The singer claims he was nowhere near the scene of the crime, and soon a lesbian rights group led by Babs Duffy (guest star Kathy Griffin) gets involved, claiming the victim's death was a result of police neglect. However, when more women from Babs's group are attacked, it becomes clear that the victim's case wasn't an isolated incident and that someone out there has a larger plan to bring the group down. Also starring: Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Richard Belzer (Detective John Munch), Dann Florek (Capt. Donald Cragen), Tamara Tunie (Dr. Melinda Warner), and B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang).

The full press release is as follows, in case anyone is interested in any of the other shows:

NBC ANNOUNCES SEASON FINALE DATES

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - February 8, 2010 - NBC announced today season finale dates for a variety of shows that extend all the way to Tuesday, May 25 with the season's climactic episode of "The Biggest Loser" (8-10 p.m. ET).

Law & Order SVU Executive Producer Neal Baer released the Law & Order SVU March schedule via Twitter this morning, which includes a double header on March 3. Here’s what’s coming up, don’t forget that SVU will now air on Wednesdays at 10:00 PM ET (except for March 3 when the two hour block starts at 9:00 PM ET):

Law & Order also returns on March 1 on its new Monday air date with a double header beginning at 9:00 PM ET with “Boy On Fire” and “Steel Eyed Death.” (Its normal airing time will be 10:00 PM ET.) Upcoming episode names (no firm dates as yet) as follows:

Brilliant DisguiseInnocence4 Cops ShotBrazilCrashers

Law & Order Criminal Intent also returns to the USA Network on Tuesday, March 30 at 10:00 PM ET with the following list of episodes:

Of course, until NBC and USA release their official schedules, all of this information is subject to change.

With two double headers in the first week of March, with Criminal Intent staring up at the end of March, and with Law & Order’s shift to Monday creating a scheduling problem for me, I will likely begin preparing more abbreviated recaps, but hopefully they will still provide enough detail to keep fans posted on each episode.

Friday, February 5, 2010

An Australian news outlet, the Courier Mail, reports that Chris Meloni will leave Law & Order SVU “within the year… confirming he would walk away from the role of Detective Elliot Stabler after season 12 of Law & Order SVU.” The article also goes on to state that “The decision already has led to tears, with castmate Mariska Hargitay breaking down when discussing how she and her character Detective Olivia Benson would cope with losing Meloni.” The article also said that Chris “was interested in pursuing theatre work as well as producing and or acting in "guerrilla-style sleeper" films when he leaves.”

This should be no real shock, since Meloni renewed his contract only through season 12. Still, the news will likely be upsetting to many fans.

You can read the full article and all of Chris’ comments at the following link:

So – did the Courier Mail lie? No retraction was printed that I can find. Did Meloni open his mouth when he should have kept it shut? All I know is that fans seem to be caught in the middle here. I sure would like to see an official retraction from the Courier Mail if the story wasn’t true.

The actor, 49, has played Detective Eliot Stabler in the NBC spinoff alongside Mariska Hargitay since it premiered in 1999. Australian newspaper Courier-Mail had quoted him as saying, "I think 12 years is enough, a good number...It will be a difficult transition."

But Meloni explained to Us: "What I said was 'When your contract is done...that will be the end. Because when your contract is done, it's usually the end," he said. "But when [producers] come back to me, you know, we can always talk.' I couched it incorrectly. It wasn't [the reporter's] fault."

To set the record straight, the star clarified: "I had one year [left] on my contract. Our show hasn't been picked up. Those are the facts of the matter."

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Here are a few photos of S. Epatha Merkerson, Anthony Anderson, and Jeremy Sisto that were taken on February 1, 2010 as Law & Order filmed in Manhattan. (The shaved look on Sisto and Anderson may take some getting used to.) If more photo’s become available I will post them!